I just completed the Alaska Aquaculture semester here in Sitka and I wanted to talk to Aldo because he did it all. He drove the vans, managed tons of logistics, taught us boating skills and how to tie knots. He prepared farming gear for both shellfish and seaweed, taught us how to culture algae, made sure our wetsuits were the right size. He even got us ice cream. I wanted to hear more of Aldo’s experience in mariculture. We talk about FLUPSYs, how the smells of mariculture compare and more!
Vocab words!
Down South - In Alaska “down south” refers to the lower 48 (all states beside Alaska and Hawaii).
Finfish – Fish with fins (e.g., salmon, cod, halibut) as opposed to shellfish (aquatic animals with exoskeletons—like oysters, lobsters and abalone.
FLUPSY (Floating Upweller System) – Not a Beatrix Potter character. A floating platform used in oyster nurseries to grow young shellfish using water flowing upwards.
NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) – Opposition to development in one’s local area. George Carlin had a bit.
Off the Road System – Communities only accessible by boat or plane (e.g., Sitka)
On the Road System – Communities accessible by road to the rest of North America.
Oyster Bags – Mesh bags used to hold and grow oysters in farms.
Pseudofeces – Rejected food particles expelled by filter feeders like oysters.
LINKS!
Aquaculture & Alaska Programs
Aquaculture Semester Alaska (highly recommended!)
https://aquaculturesemester.alaska.edu/index.htmlDifferences Between Fish Farms & Hatcheries (Tanana Chiefs)
https://www.tananachiefs.org/the-differences-between-fish-farms-hatcheries/Political Economics of U.S. Marine Aquaculture (PDF)
https://scholarworks.alaska.edu/bitstream/handle/11122/4167/2010_10-PoliticalEconomicsUSMarineAquaculture.pdf?sequence=1
Oysters & Shellfish Farming
Nursery / Gear / Methods
Oyster Nursery (FLUPSY info)
https://alaska.seaweedinsights.com/oysters/nurseryOyster Bags / Farming Methods (NOAA story)
https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/hollings-scholarship/stories/shucking-my-way-to-exciting-innovations-my-internship-researching-new-methods-of-oyster-farming-inFLUPSY article
https://www.fukuina.com/articles/nov_dec97.htm
Environmental Impact & Ecosystem Services
Oysters as a “Blue Food” climate solution
https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2025/05/more-evidence-that-oysters-are-a-blue-food-win-for-climate-and-coastal-pollution/Sustainable Pacific Oyster Farming (NOAA)
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/sustainable-pacific-oyster-farmingOyster Filtration Calculator
https://oceanwealth.org/tools/oyster-calculator/Ecosystem Services – Filtration
https://oceanwealth.org/ecosystem-services/filtration/?utm_source=chatgpt.comOysters & Eelgrass + Ocean Acidification (UW)
https://fish.uw.edu/2018/07/oysters-and-eelgrass-help-each-other-out-under-increasing-carbon-dioxide-levels/
Scallops!
Atlantic Sea Scallop Aquaculture Cost Study (University of Maine)
https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2025/08/04/umaine-research-compares-most-cost-effective-methods-for-atlantic-sea-scallop-aquaculture/
